"They'd probably wonder how they used to do marketing and sales before this." - Sherilyn Bunting, Group Business Manager, The Palmer Collection

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WINSTANLEY HOUSE

Winstanley House is a Grade II listed Georgian country house on Hinckley Road in Leicester, England, two miles from the city centre and set in about 160 acres of parkland. Restored in 2017 after standing empty for 20 years, it is now a four-star boutique hotel and luxury events venue with 19 bedrooms, the Black Iron restaurant and two ballrooms, including the Pavilion Ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows over the grounds. It hosts wedding breakfasts for up to 450 guests, and couples can book the house for exclusive use. Winstanley House is part of The Palmer Collection, alongside sister venue The City Rooms in Leicester's city centre.

Guests give it a 4.5-star rating across 1,188 Google reviews.

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The Challenge

• An old-school, manual sales process. Before EverBridal, Winstanley House relied on "slow emails, in some cases even posting brochures."
• Couples waited too long to hear back. "It just took us so much more time to get back to people. Most people don't watch their emails as much as they will get a text message."
• Weeks between inquiry and tour. Getting a new lead from first contact to a tour and follow-up typically took two to three weeks.
• Admin ate up the sales team's time. "We had to do all our own follow-ups, we had to do all our own confirmations for a tour." Sherilyn described the process as "very long" and "very laborious."
• A growing company that needed to move faster. With two venues and plans to expand, The Palmer Collection "needed to accelerate how fast we get back to people" and "find ways that were far more efficient."

The Approach

• A smooth onboarding. The Palmer Collection joined EverBridal in January 2025. Sherilyn called onboarding "quite seamless," with the EverBridal team explaining the platform "in a way that really made sense."
• Fast, text-first follow-up. New inquiries got quick replies by text instead of slow emails, moving couples from first contact to a tour sooner.
• Automated follow-ups and tour confirmations. EverBridal took over the admin the sales team used to handle by hand.
• Campaigns that re-engage couples. Automations promoted events like wedding showcases, which Sherilyn said "wowed our clients."
• Responsive consultants. Even across the time difference, EverBridal's consultants are "very quick at getting back to you," bring new campaign ideas and fix automations fast when something needs changing.

Early Signals

• Lead activity up about 30%. Sherilyn estimated that traction rose roughly 30% compared with before EverBridal, and the team reviews the numbers every month.
• More time for selling. With fewer inefficient follow-ups, the sales team could "do more."
• Couples noticed the speed. Clients began commenting on how quickly the venue responded, "which is quite nice."

The Results

• Bookings up 30–40%: Sherilyn estimates bookings rose about 30 to 40% compared with before EverBridal, with the majority of new bookings coming through the platform.
• Lead-to-tour time cut from 2–3 weeks to as few as 5 days: Quick conversations led to tours and fast follow-ups, which sped up conversion.
• A leaner sales team: Automating follow-ups and confirmations let The Palmer Collection run "a much smaller sales team," lowering overheads while the company grows.
• Happier couples: "The client satisfaction that has come from this has been massive."

Looking Back

The Palmer Collection's CEO chose EverBridal after experiencing its fast follow-up first-hand, reasoning that if that's how EverBridal won his business, it's how his venues should win couples. Eighteen months later, Winstanley House books more weddings with a smaller team, and couples hear back by text instead of waiting on emails and posted brochures.

"I would tell them to definitely give it a try, because they'd probably wonder how they used to do marketing and sales before this. It made our lives so much easier and so much more beneficial. Clients have certainly noticed a difference in how quickly we're responding, to the point where they would actually acknowledge that." — Sherilyn Bunting, Group Business Manager, The Palmer Collection

Key Takeaways

1. Speed shortens the whole sales cycle. Replying fast doesn't just win the first conversation; it pulls the tour and the booking forward too.
2. Text beats email. Couples respond to texts much faster than to emails, and they notice when a venue gets back to them quickly.
3. Automate the admin, not the relationship. Handing off follow-ups and tour confirmations frees salespeople to spend their time with couples.
4. A smaller team can sell more. Better lead handling let The Palmer Collection grow bookings while lowering sales overheads.
5. Keep re-engaging. Campaigns around showcases and events bring back couples who went quiet.
6. How you follow up is your first impression. The Palmer Collection's CEO chose EverBridal because of how it followed up with him, and couples judge venues the same way.

Ready to Book Tours in Days Like Winstanley House?

Winstanley House grew bookings 30 - 40% and cut the time from inquiry to tour from weeks to days by answering every couple fast. See what EverBridal can do for your venue.

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